We recently had the privilege to review and demo the Unit67 Boost EQ Compressor from DryBell, a wonderfully versatile addition to any rig or recording setup. As if knowing that an equally intelligent and option-filled dirt pedal would be the perfect effect to pair with the Unit67, they decided to release The Engine Foundation Preamp. A highly versatile and fully analog pedal, it features distinct voicing that has been inspired by 60’s British amps and sounds.
Side A provides an extremely British-flavored, tube-like distortion, one that’s very open-sounding and touch sensitive. Level, Gain and Tone work as you’d expect, and there’s an additional Shape control as well. This unique control allows you to adjust the overall character and level of the mid frequencies, a key feature for setting the voice of and fine-tuning your foundation tone.
Side B produces a high-headroom and distortion-free clean boost, along with a Low & High EQ section. The key here is the Range feature, which controls specific mid-frequencies whose complex overtones are great for pushing through the mix, ala the famous Rangemaster Treble Booster. This section mirrors the Unit67, minus the compressor, to drive your amp or to drive the distortion on Side A.
As the age-old question goes, “Do you put Boost in front or Distortion, or Distortion ahead of Boost?” Well, now you can easily figure out the answer for yourself. DryBell has included an Order button, letting you instantly select which of the 2 sides comes first in the signal chain. This pedal really comes alive when both sides are engaged at the same time, and having the option to swap their order is an invaluable resource in an effect of this nature.
Aiming to cover all the classic overdriven tones you hear on many different amps, The Engine has two very strong and independent sections, designed to work with a variety of musical gear. These sections share a a high headroom, ultra-low noise buffer, designed to have no signal loss. Using only long life, highly reliable components, your Engine Foundation Preamp will keep running for years and years to come. Along with the aforementioned Unit67 and the instant classic Vibe Machine Chorus Vibrato, the DryBell crew keeps putting out one wonderful machine after the other, and we can’t wait to see what comes next. Be sure to check out The Engine in all its glory in our demo video below, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube!
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